At Gorge Paddle Challenge, one competitor will be two

Young baseball players in the Gorge have two different opportunities to continue the spring and summer seasons into the fall, and although the philosophies behind the programs differ, the objective remains the same: keep kids playing baseball as far into the year as possible.

Wrestlers return from Nationals, Redneck camp

Hood River Valley High School wrestlers Andrew DeHart, Christian Marquez, Max Lane, Steven Swafford and Jessica DeHart made the long journey east to Fargo, N.D., this month to represent Hood River and the Oregon National Team at the 2014 USA Wrestling Freestyle and Greco Roman national wrestling tournaments.

Downwind Blowout race rescheduled for this weekend

Fueled by steady thermal winds and sizzling summer temps, the 14th annual Bridge of the Gods Kite Fest brought hundreds of kiteboarders and spectators to the Stevenson waterfront over the weekend for two days of friendly but fierce freestyle competition.

The Columbia River in front of the Hood River Event Site was swarming with activity last weekend, as sunny weather and solid wind brought out the masses to play on the water and enjoy the classic summer conditions the Gorge is famous for.

The 2014 Bridge of the Gods Kitefest in Stevenson is set for next weekend, with the pro contest July 25, the amateur event July 26 and the Blow-out July 27. In its 14th year, the event is touted as the longest-running amateur kiteboarding competition in the country, and has successfully served as a platform for many young men and women aspiring to climb the ranks of the sport from amateur to professional.

Although the trip was focused on fostering cultural understanding and appreciation between high school students of Oregon/Washington and Japan, the goodwill mission didn’t stop Hood River Valley wrestlers Andrew Dehart and Max Lane from knocking a few heads while they were abroad.

Heart, Strength, Tenacity: Seventh Kiteboarding-4-Cancer unifies with wind and water

The wind gods smiled on the Hood River Event Site Saturday afternoon. Despite a less-than-favorable forecast, the wind kicked in at about noon, increased throughout the day and blew strong and steady for several hours, giving the 154 participants of the 7th annual Kiteboarding- 4-Cancer fundraiser a full afternoon of sunny skies and steady wind to make this year’s sixhour endurance race one of the best and most competitive in event history.

Managers say biking, disc golf probably not a good fit for the resort

Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort announced with enthusiasm last week that it has been granted a summer operations permit from the U.S. Forest Service.
Starting with two one-day events this August, Meadows will be allowed to run limited summer operations for the first time in the ski area’s 46- year history.

Wy’east defeated White Salmon 5-1 Thursday evening to claim the first-ever boys’ Gorge Area Middle School Soccer League championship. The two teams had met twice earlier in the league’s inaugural season, with Wy’east winning both by a narrow one-goal margin.

2014 class: two teams and five individuals

The Hood River Valley High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee recently announced its list of inductees for the 2014 class. Among the athletes being honored for their past accomplishments are five individuals and two teams from HRVHS and one individual from Cascade Locks High School.

Big-air kiteboarding contest utilizes Xensr motion capture device

The second annual Hood River Huckfest was held last Thursday under sunny skies and moderate wind conditions, and at the end of several high-flying rounds, the big-air kiteboarding event had its champions.

Longtime local archery club sees significant uptick in interest during last couple of years

The Hood River-based Appleknocker Bowmen archery club hosted its annual Little John 3D shoot late last month, and the record turnout of nearly 350 people is evidence that the sport is seeing a measurable resurgence, particularly in younger age groups.

“Definitely not luck,” is how Gorge FC manager Roger Sherrell describes his team’s first league win of the season last weekend over Seattle Sporting FC. After going through structure and coaching changes midway through the spring, the Hood River-based semi-pro soccer team has found its rhythm as it concludes its first season in the Northwest Conference of the National Premier Soccer League.

New this year, return shuttle service offered

Organizers of the annual Kollas-Cranmer Memorial Run are gearing up for what has become a wildly popular Independence Day tradition for several hundred people every year. This year marks the 39th-annual 4th of July run, named after the late Joe Kollas and Jerry Cranmer, both of whom were active runners and community members.

CFHR hosts fundraiser auction July 11 for duo

CrossFit Hood River Athletes Regan Huckaby and Christine Wells are headed to the world championship of CrossFit competition, the CrossFit Games, at the end of July in Carson, Calif. The two are the first athletes from Hood River to qualify for the Games, which they did by advancing through highly competitive local and regional contests earlier this year.

Hood River artist and metal sculptor C.J. Rench and his team unveiled the final product of several months of hard work and collaboration over the weekend in Seattle, Wash., where a 22-foot high, 11,000-pound structure was pieced together in the city’s Jefferson Park. The project, called Red Bull Skate Space, is a joint effort between Rench, Red Bull and professional skateboarder Torey Pudwil. In addition to its appeal as a bright and cheerful piece of public art, the work is and is designed to be interactive and, in particular, to be skateable.

Young golfers ages 8-13 invited to join new program

In an effort to get more kids involved in the sport, Hood River’s Indian Creek Golf Course has formed a youth team to participate in the nation-wide PGA Jr. League Golf program. The program is open to players ages 8-13 and is run similar to Little League baseball and softball, with contests held between teams based from neighboring courses. Mark Gradin, Indian Creek’s director of Instruction and Player Development, says the Hood River team currently has a full team of 16 players, but if he can recruit more kids he’ll gladly form a second team.

HRV finishes second in state tourney, but graduates only three

The final play of Saturday’s OSAA 5A state baseball championship between Hood River Valley and Sandy high schools came down to a high pop fly in foul territory beyond the first baseline. Down 8-3 with two outs, the chance of an HRV comeback was slim to none, and Sandy’s first basemen sealed the victory, and the Pioneers’ first-ever state baseball title, by catching the fly ball directly over the heads of the HRV lineup watching from Volcano Stadium’s visitor’s dugout.

Multi-sport event draws more than 300 to enjoy Hood River Valley’s many outdoor offerings

Conditions aligned perfectly Saturday for the inaugural Hood2River Relay Race, and if the unanimous expressions of blissful exhaustion at the finish line and after-party were any indication, the event promises to be bigger and better next year.

Hood River Valley varsity boys lacrosse extended its season at least through the weekend with a commanding 19-0 win at home Wednesday night against Rex Putnam in the inaugural Cascade Cup tournament. The win advanced the team to a Saturday night game at Canby in the 16-team bracket’s quarterfinal round.

Anyone who has seen Regan Huckaby work out in the last year will tell you, she’s an absolute maniac. Although as friendly as they come, the 27-year-old Hood River resident is trimmed like a Navy SEAL and can outperform most of the guys in her gym; accolades made all the more impressive by the fact that she’s a mother of two young Huckaby rugrats, ages 2 and 4.

Eagle baseball pulled off a big-time win Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the OSAA 5A state championships. HRV, seeded No. 14 in the 16-team bracket after winning a play-in game last week at Bend, upset Springfield with a 5-2 win to advance to the tournament quarterfinals and knock the No. 3 seed out of the tournament on their home turf.

Sebastian Barajas and Jestena Mattson successfully defended state titles over the weekend at the 2014 OSAA 5A State Track and Field Championships to help propel Hood River Valley High School to ninth- and fifth-place team finishes in the season finale at Eugene’s Hayward Field.

Hood River Valley High’s Dan Kuechmann shot a two-day total of 165 — 21 over par — to finish in a tie for 32nd place at last week’s OSAA 5A state golf championships at Banks’ Quail Valley Golf Course. Crescent Valley sophomore Kevin Geniza won the tournament with a three-over-par total of 147.

In a unique mix of fun in the sun and hard-headed competition, the Hood River Marina was host to the 2014 Oregon Beach Wrestling State Championships last weekend. On a smooth strip of beach jutting into the Columbia River, wrestlers were paired into general age and weight categories and competed in the unique format of wrestling with rules similar to those of the Japanese Sumo style.

Hood River Valley High track and field claimed 10 district titles and qualified athletes in 18 events at last week’s Columbia River Conference championships to compete in the upcoming OSAA 5A State meet in Eugene. Preliminary rounds start Friday inside the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field, where 38 of the state’s 5A programs will be represented; action peaks with final rounds Saturday afternoon.

Dan Kuechmann will be the lone golfer to represent Hood River Valley High School at next week’s OSAA 5A boys golf state championships. Keuchmann and Coach Mark Gradin will travel to Banks, home to Quail Valley Golf Course, on Sunday for a practice round before the two-day tournament next week to determine the state’s top high school golfers.

Hood River Valley baseball fell just short of an exciting upset over the Columbia River Conference-leading Hermiston Bulldogs in a stifling home contest Tuesday afternoon at Traner Field that ended with a 5-4 loss.